Vulnerable Newcastle dad left to suffer after a fall

HIS family thought they were doing the right thing when they placed their much-loved relative in a care home.

James Robertson with wife Dorothy, who has been left devastated by his death

HIS family thought they were doing the right thing when they placed their much-loved relative in a care home.

But, instead, the family of James Robertson was left heartbroken when the 85-year-old died after being left with serious injuries for more than seven hours following a serious fall.

Now an inquest has heard how the fall at the Lea Green Court Care Home in Kenton, Newcastle, contributed to his death.

Mr Robertson had only been a resident at Lea Green Court Care Home on Kenton Road, Gosforth, Newcastle, for six weeks when he fell over, cutting his head and elbow.

The 85-year-old, who was prone to falls due to his condition, was checked over by agency nurse Abel Olaleye at the home who deemed his injuries not serious enough to call a doctor or paramedics.

He was put back to bed and it wasn’t until seven hours later that an ambulance was called after Mr Robertson was found to be disorientated and struggling to breathe as his false teeth had fallen to the back of his throat.

He was taken to Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary where doctors discovered he had suffered a bleed on the brain. He died eight days later on March 25 last year.

Now his family have said they “don’t feel any closure” following an inquest into his death which concluded that he died of natural causes but the fall was a contributing factor.

Granddaughter Lynda Youens, from Kingston Park, Newcastle, says her grandma Dorothy has been left heartbroken by the details that emerged during the inquest.

The 27-year-old said: “My grandma cried all night after I told her everything. She didn’t want to send him to the home but we told her it was the best place for him to be looked after.”

James was only placed at Lea Green in February last year after his dementia worsened, making it difficult for him to remain at home. Within the few weeks leading up to the incident on March 17 he had already fallen over a number of times with a doctor or paramedics being called on all but one of those occasions. The inquest heard evidence from Mr Olaleye who was the registered nurse on the night shift when Mr Robertson fell in the corridor near to his bedroom at 4.35am.

He told the court he assessed Mr Robertson and dressed the cut above his right eye before deciding to put him back to bed.

When the day shift came to take over at 8am Mr Olaleye handed over details of the incident to the nurse coming on duty, Gillian Questra, who was also an agency worker.

Giving evidence, she said she went to check on Mr Robertson two times during the morning and describes how on one occasion he appeared to wave his arm as if to decline his medication.

She was alerted to his condition worsening at around 11.30am when two care assistants found Mr Robertson struggling to breathe and doctors were called in to tend to him.

Mum-of-two Lynda said: “They might not have been able to stop him dying but he could have been taken to hospital and been more comfortable and not be in pain.”

James had been living with dementia for around five years before he became a resident at Lea Green.

A spokeswoman for Lea Green Court Care Home, which is owned by Four Seasons Health Care, said the home is fully staffed with nurses and no longer uses agency nurses.

The staffing levels at the home are reviewed weekly and are deemed sufficient by the Care Quality Commission and by the local authority. Recording a narrative verdict, coroner Karen Dilks said: “Mr Robertson’s death was due to natural causes to which injuries sustained in a fall on March 17 2012 within Lea Green Care Home contributed to.”

Mr Robertson spent most of his working life on the docks and was described as being a “quiet” and “gentle” man.

A Lea Green Court Care Home spokeswoman said: “Mr Robertson’s death was a sad loss and our sympathies are with his family. The home is currently compliant with all Care Quality Commission core criteria.”

While giving evidence Mr Olaleye said he was currently suspended but, as a matter of procedure, the Nursing and Midwifery Council couldn’t confirm or deny this.

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